What about my head? by Mike

We here at Steel Wheel Ranch get calls quite often for cylider heads. The most common ones asked for are the 8060, DA, DB, DC, DD, [these are all the same] the 362174-R, and the 282 diesel heads which have 2 or more numbers depending on the application.

How do I tell if my head is cracked?
The 4 cylinder gas heads on the M, SM, SMTA, 400, and 450 gas are quite often cracked. About 75% of the ones we pull off salvage tractors of this type are cracked. A lot of these tractors still run with cracked heads. One telltale sign of a cracked head is the smell of antifreeze in the exhaust first thing when the tractor is started up. This is because a small amount of antifreeze leaks into the cylinders when the tractor is parked and is immeadiately burned or forced out of the exhaust when the tractor is first started up. Expansion and contraction has a lot to do with leakage in a cracked head also. At certain temperatures they leak a lot worse and at some temperatures may not leak at all. And of course antifreeze in the oil is a telltale sign of a serious problem and the engine should not be run at all with this condition because of the immediate danger of the bearings being ruined and the engine seizing up.

What about a used head I might buy?
Almost 100% of the diesel engines that start on gas and are switched to diesel are cracked on our salvage tractors. This is also true on the 282 diesel engines that we junk out. Believe it or not, almost all of the other Farmall tractors we junk have no head cracks at all. The 362174 head and the 450 LP head are also subject to cracking but are very popular sellers to tractor pullers. [See article on tractor pulling]

How do I tell which heads will fit my engine?
Almost every IH tractor has a head number either cast or stamped into the head, usually under the valve cover. This number is a must if you want to replace it with the same head. There is no way of knowing what head you have unless you have that number. We can tell you what head is supposed to be on your tractor but not which one is actually on your tractor. For a long time on the M and H series tractors the "X1" after the serial number meant that the engine had a high compression head and that it was a gas burner. In later years it was assumed that all of the gas burners were high compression. An all fuel burner then had the letter "A" as a suffix letter in the serial number.

So what do you have?
We sell used [when available] heads and have a full line of rebuilt heads for all brands of tractors [not just IH] and trucks. When purchasing a rebuilt head from us keep in mind that these heads usually have been professionally welded, have new seats and guides, have been resurfaced and have a 60 day warranty, but do NOT come with valves, springs or keepers. If you want these items we can furnish them at a very reasonable price and can even have them installed if you want. Also keep in mind that there is a core charge on all heads that can be refunded when your old core is returned to us in REBUILDABLE condition. Cracks are ok but not chunks missing or pieces actually broken off. Also your core needs to be the same one as you wish to purchase. If you need a core we will be happy to sell you one. If you are not sure if your head is good or not it should be taken to a proffessional machine shop and be magna-fluxed and or pressure checked. We have both done to the heads that we sell. Experience has taught us that magna-fluxing has its place but does not take the place of pressure checking. We have our heads magna-fluxed first and IF no cracks show up ,THEN we have them pressure checked. Almost all of the used heads we sell unless stated differently have this double checking process for your protection. We hope this helps our customers with their cylinder head questions.

Mike